Sunday Whirl – The Dust Bowl – August 10, 2014

Posted on August 10, 2014 by Georgia

Here are the words:

Bend under those pails of water
Too heavy to stand-up straight
But today we irrigate the grain.
The distant sybil of rain
Another ephemeral promise unfulfilled …
We’ve looked to the east
And then we looked to the west
Wondering what we should do,
To limit the dust wind’s damage
In case the rain failed once again …
Now, as we take the short shaded lane
The dust flies into our eyes …
Kansas is just a dust bowl
I think we’ll soon leave these parts.

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More Information about the depression and the great storms that created the dust bowl:

http://www.stockpickssystem.com/the-great-depression/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl

These were also the photo sources.

28 thoughts on “Sunday Whirl – The Dust Bowl – August 10, 2014”

oldegg on August 10, 2014 at 09:22 said:

The Depression in the 1930 occurred when the population of the world was about 2 billion. It is about 7 billion today. I would like to think that there is some grand plan for sustainability. I do want to see it published as a sort of assurance for the future. Am I just kidding myself?

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- Bastet on August 10, 2014 at 10:35 said:
  
  Dear Oldegg,
  
  History has a tendancy to repeat itself, probably because we don’t actually control anything though we’ve been taught that we are the masters of the planet and we suffer from a perminent case of historical amnesia.
  
  Droughts happen, epidemics happen, world economic crunches are periodical … if you add that to the singular greed of those who have and the passivity of those that don’t, racial prejudices, class prejudices, religious prejudices etal … you have a formula for a very bad scenerio, basically because we never seem to learn how to live together … we make magnificent tools and don’t know how to control ourselves. Like giving a child a machine gun and telling him not to pull the trigger.
  
  So in a world with over 7 billion people, an economical crisis that’s been building ever worse over the last 10 years or so and all our power of mass destruction, I think maybe we were better off in 1930 and that was a very bad period, which brought about the second world war.
  
  I wish there were a grand plan for sutainability … but I don’t see any signs pointing in that direction. It’s still everyone for himself in a situation where we have to pull together.
  
  Sorry, Bastet.
  
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drpkp on August 10, 2014 at 10:13 said:

Oh my goodness!!! What do I think? Wonderful ! Exquisite poem in form – content and presentation (the slide show is brilliant). If this hasn’t bern submitted for publication – please do not hesitate!

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jae rose on August 10, 2014 at 10:56 said:

How dust can hit hard…poetically there is a resolution…to survive..move forward and on…we must tell ourselves that so that our imagination and hope never runs dry

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- Bastet on August 10, 2014 at 12:27 said:
  
  I do so agree … but always keeping in mind sad truths and realities .. thanks for the comment!
  
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J Cosmo Newbery on August 10, 2014 at 11:45 said:

I liked the poem. Also liked the interchange with Old Egg. We do have to pull together and it goes against our natural instincts. But, to survive, we must. First, though, we must find politicians that understand that.

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- Bastet on August 10, 2014 at 12:36 said:
  
  Aye … there’s the rub. One of our oldest problems … our leaders. Glad you enjoyed the poem and the interchange. 🙂
  
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magicalmysticalteacher on August 10, 2014 at 14:41 said:

My mother grew up in Kansas during the Dust Bowl. Were she still alive, I’m sure she could identify with every aspect of your poem.

Whirl for August 10th

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- Bastet on August 10, 2014 at 15:26 said:
  
  I’d met some older people who’d gone through that period … it was pretty bad. Sorry for your loss, but thanks for sharing this with me.
  
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1sojournal on August 10, 2014 at 19:14 said:

Your poem and slide show reminded me of reading The Grapes of Wrath which I’ve read several times. But, your exchange with Old Egg really focused in on many of my own thoughts recently. Thank you,

Elizabeth
http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/

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- Bastet on August 11, 2014 at 05:28 said:
  
  Thanks Elizabeth, I’m happy the you enjoyed the post and the exchange. They were particularly hard times that are slipping from our memory I think … history should never be forgotten it helps us focus the present better.
  
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Björn Rudberg (brudberg) on August 10, 2014 at 22:17 said:

And of course — Grapes of Wraith gave an account of those times… just as Elisabeth says…

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- Bastet on August 11, 2014 at 05:30 said:
  
  Yep … haven’t read it in years but I thank you both for bringing it to mind.
  
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Belva Staples on August 11, 2014 at 00:03 said:

Great work! Thanks for writing this!

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Blog It Or Lose It on August 11, 2014 at 00:32 said:

I love how you’ve knitted the Dust Bowl from this Word Whirl – you’ve done it powerfully and given us a lot to think about.

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- Bastet on August 11, 2014 at 05:35 said:
  
  Thanks Jen .. I didn’t know I was going there … the first line started inviting the others until I reached the conclusion … then I edited and looked for photos.
  
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  - Blog It Or Lose It on August 11, 2014 at 06:16 said:
    
    It’s WONDERFUL when one line just leads right into the next like that! 😀
    
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    - Bastet on August 11, 2014 at 06:18 said:
      
      It really is .. I was so surprised – but pretty pleased too in the end. 🙂
      
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      - Blog It Or Lose It on August 11, 2014 at 06:29 said:
        
        As well you should be — it was really good. 🙂
        
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      - Bastet on August 11, 2014 at 06:53 said:
        
        Thanks .. really!
        
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      - Blog It Or Lose It on August 11, 2014 at 06:54 said:
        
        Very welcome!
        
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Sumana Roy on August 11, 2014 at 13:26 said:

you’ve brought about some gritty truths..and the same old foul diseases existed, exist and probably will exist…sigh…

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- Bastet on August 12, 2014 at 06:20 said:
  
  Yep, until we start working on how we see the world I think you’ve the right of it.
  
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alan1704 on August 11, 2014 at 19:56 said:

Dust is just so destructive and rain brings the blessing of hope. Perhaps there are lessons to be heard here, Great writing.

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- Bastet on August 12, 2014 at 06:29 said:
  
  Thanks Alan … this poem sort of exorcised my feelings about all the rain we’re having this summer 😉
  
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purplepeninportland on August 26, 2014 at 05:32 said:

I adore “the distant sybil of rain”. Brilliant.

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- Bastet on August 26, 2014 at 06:12 said:
  
  Thanks! A prophacy unfulfilled for so long!
  
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